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(No Model.)

M. W. ROI-IRER, Jr. & D. H. BUYER.

TUG. I No. 330,426. PatentedNov. 17, 1885.

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g d WITNESSES I 1.7V VEJV' TOR f; 041 fw M/vz @000 Prime-Lithographer.Washington, 04 c.

MED TATES PATE r tries.

MICHAEL XV. ROHRER, J 1%., AND DAYTON H. BOYER, OF DILLER, NEBRASKA,ASSIGNORS OF ON E-THIRD TO WILLIAM WV. ROHRER, OF OBESTON, OHIO.

rue.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 330,426, dated November17, 1885. Application filed April 1, 1885. Serial No. 166,889. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, MICHAEL W. ROHRER, J r., and DAYTON H. BOYER,citizens of the United States, residing-at Diller, in the county 5 ofJefferson and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Tugs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription. The object of this invention is to provide a [O tug whichmay be engaged with the thills like a clasp without threading the thillsthrough the same, and which will take up the jar of jerking of an animalor of a wheel against a stone or other obstruction.

Our invention consists in a two-part tug,

one member being in the nature of a clasp engaging the saddle, breast,or hame-strap, girth, and breeching, and the other being a springfiXtureon the thills, with which the clasp is engaged to harness the animal tothe thills, as

we will now proceed to set forth and claim.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating our invention, in the severalfigures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure l is aperspective view of the parts detached. Fig. 2 is a verticalcrosssection through the center of the clasp, and Fig. 3 is alongitudinal section of the parts in position.

a is a base of metal, having the hame or 0 breast-strap loop b, saddleor back-strap loop 0, girth-loop cl, and breeching-strap loop 6, anddesigned to be held in position in the harness by said straps. This baseis provided with a projection, f, having a semicircular cavity, f, init, and to the lower end of said projection is hinged a semicircularmember, g, which, when closed over the projection f, makes with itscavity a circular opening to receive the shaft portion of the tug. The

member 9 has pivoted to it an eccentric hooklever, h, which, when saidmember is closed down over the projection f, engages a bail, t, hingedto said projection, to draw and thus lock the two parts together. Anyother suit- 4 5 able well-known locking device may, however,

be substituted for this. The parts a to 2' constitute what we havehereinbefore referred to as a clasp.

Upon the shafts or thills j, at the points 5oowhere they are usuallyengaged by the tugs,

we place a close fltting metallic sleeve, 70, and secure the same by ascrew or other fastening, as indicated in Fig. 3. This sleeve has afixed annular flange, Z, at one end, and a second flange, m, at theother end, the latter being detachably secured thereto by a screwthreador otherwise. The sleeve is encircled by a collar or band, a, flanged atboth ends, as shown, and of a width to receive the clasp, and thiscollar is normally held up to the flange l of the sleeve by a stoutspiral or other spring, 0, which engages the sleeve between said collarand the flange m. The flange m is made detachable to admit of theplacing of the collar and spring on the sleeve. The 001- lar fits thesleeve in such manner as to freely slip thereon. The engagement of theharness with the thills is effected by getting the animal within theshafts or thills and then looking the members 9 of the clasps about thecol- 7o lars n. A fractious. animal may thus be harnessed to a vehiclewith great ease without the annoyance of backing him into the shafts orpulling the vehicle up to him, so as to thread the thills throughpermanent eyes in tugs. So, also, in case of falling of the animal orother accident, he may be readily discon nected from the vehicle.

By connecting the brcechingstrap to the tug we dispense with a holdbackon the thills, and as such tug is always in correct position, we savethe necessity of properly adjusting such straps to the thills. Thespring serves to take the jar and jerk heretofore thrown on the vehicleby the animal jumping or the ve hicle lurching on meeting anobstruction, such as a stone. It also adapts itself to the motion of theshoulders of the draft-animal, and s0 gives the same movement as awhiffletree.

Either collar or breast single harness may be supplied with our tug, andit will be found that the cost of the same is considerably reduced overthe old style.

WVhat we claim is 1. A tugattaching device comprising a clasp secured tothe harness, a sleeve fast to the thill, a collar movable on said sleeveand engaged by the clasp, and a spring acting against said collar,substantially as described.

2. A clasp provided with loops to engage 10o rhe saddle or back strap ofa' harness, the breast or-harne strap, and the girth, and to receive thebreeching-strap, combined with a movable collar secured in a fixedposition on the thill, substantially as described.

3. A thill-tug, a clasp provided with a base having loops for engagingthe harness, a projection having a semicircular cavity, a semicircularmember hinged to said projection and adapted to complete the circle ofits cavity, and a locking device to secure said member in such position,combined with a sleeve on the thill and a movable or yielding collar onsaid sleeve, substantially as described.

4. In a tug-attaching device, a sleeve affixed to the thill and providedwith end flanges, a flanged collar encircling such sleeve, and a springacting against the foremost flange of said sleeve, combined with a claspadapted to be attached to the harness to engage said 20 collar and bereadily disengaged therefrom, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands this 25th day ofMarch, A. D. 1885.

Witnesses:

A. D. LUCAS, A. L. FVIRSTMAN.

